Improvement in thje manufacture of illuminating-gas



l E. P, MCCARTHY.'

1\.[Al\IUPACTURB 0F ILLUMINATING GAS.

NO. 103,218. y Patented May 17, 1870.

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Y To all whom it may concern invention or experiment.

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`EDMUND LeamPmenfA-t.103,218, dared May 17, 1870.

P. MCCARTHY, on ,can FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA;

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IMPROVEMENT IN THE MANUFACTURE OF ILL''Mill:INA'J'JIIGGAS.V

v -*QH*- The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent and making part of the saine.

Be it known that lI, EDMUND P. MCGAR'IHY, of the city and county of 'San Francisco, State of California, have invented an Improvement in the Manufacture of Illuminating-Gas; and I do Ahereby declare, the.4 following description and accompanying drawings are sufficient to enable any person skilled inthe art or science to,; whrch1t most nearly appertains to make 'and use my said invention or improvements without further `My invention relates to certain improvements in the manufacture of illuminating-gas from crude petroleum, and. otherhydrocarbou oils, by which I amenabled to produce a gas of' superior illuminating power, and to obtain practically the best results from a given quantity ot' oil, or other liquid hydrocarbon.

To eliect this I subject'it to the ac tion of heat ina thin stratum, so that all the elements are liberated at nearly# the same time, and unite with each other in such proportions as to form anilluminating gas of the 4 best quality, andmin greater abiunlancc than when coal is carbonized. i

,In my Improved methodthe condensed bituminous vapors, which form tar in the ordinary process, are

`nearly all converted into gas, which is greatly increased in brilliancy, producing'a light equal totbrty-six and .seventy-four one-hundredths candles.

- My invention further consists in an improved Ina-nner of superheating and decomposing the steam which is used, so 4that the temperature of the rctorts shall not be reduced by its introduction, and the formation of gas will be much facilitated.

',lhe petr leum, or otheriliquid hydrocarbon, is led by ga pipe toa point from which it is carried by a jet of lthe decomposed steam through a peculiar nozzle, the elect of which is to finely divide the injected iugredients, and convertthem into a sprayorvapor, in which condition it is immediately converted into gas, being decomposed by passing through a series of passages within the retort, and finally through a mass of incandescent anthracite coal or coke, which lies on the iloor ofthe upper chamber of the retort, and 'through which the combined gases must pass from beneath.

From this retort it is passed directly to another `siniilarly arranged, where the process is completed andl the gas conveyed thence through stand-pipes to the hydraulic main.

It will thus be seen that the products of distillation which, in the ordinary process, are condensed in the hydraulic main and carried ott' with the gas to the condenser, are, in my process, almost entirely converted into a gas of high illuminating power, it being entil-ely in the power ofthe operator to change the quality and quantity ot' the gas with the least possicom plete description of my invention-4 A is afnrnace, which contains three retorts, that number being used for thevpresent illustration, al-

g though Ldo not wish to confine myself' to any particn'lar number in construction.

B is the lire-place, which may be arranged so as to distribute and economize the heat most efectually.

The waste gases and heat from the furnace B pass ofi' through dues to the chimney H. A pipe, I, passes Y through the chimney and flue, and to this pipe or snperheaten-the steam is conveyed from the boiler, and is here partially dried. From ,this point a suitable pipe conveys the steam to the decomposer C.

This decomposer has a removable T-shaped diaphragm, J, constructed as shown at g. 3, so that it divides the vessel into three portions longitudinally.

.into one of the lower chambers thus formed the superheated steam from the pipe I is conveyed, and passes tothe rear of the vessel. From this point itpasses forward through the other lower chamber, and thence into the upper chamber. r

The horizontal portion of the diaphragm is pierced with holesm ou one side and over this second chamber, so` that the superheated steam rises to the upper part of the decomposer as it pa-sses toward the l'ront.

Iron turnings, or anthracite coal, may be employed in this chamherif found desirable to increase the heating-surface, and morethoroughly decom pose the steam.

From the decomposer the steam and hydrogen are conveyed by a pipe, K, to the jet-tube a, which opens just within the retort l). The oil is supplied through a'pipe, L, and its flow regulated by a stop-cock, b.

rlhis pipe may have asiphon bend or trap above the -and within the nozzle c. lThis ,nozzle` is contracted immediately in front of thc point where the oil is introduced, and expands directly afterward atl ll.

lhe effect of this is to more completely unite the steam and gas from the pipe K with the hydrocarbon liquid from the pipe 4L, and the conical or bellshaped nozzle converts the whole into a'spray or vapor, which passes to the rear end of the retort through -a passage constructed similarly tothat ben'e described in the'retort or decomposer C.

The horizontal diaphragm of this retort is covered with anthracite coal or coke, heated to the point of ignition, and as the. combined vapors return through the passage c, they pass up through holes in this diaphragm and through the incandescent coal, thus be- Y From the retort D the' gas and unconverted vaporf pass through the pipe M lnto the retort E, the interior of which is constructed like the two before described, aud also containing anthracite coal or coke. The. process is completed in this retort, and any vapor which comes over ti'om D will he decomposed and converted into gas.

By introducing oil in a thin strat-um or spray, every part. ot' it is exposed to the heat ofthe retort, so that it will be almost instantlydecomposed, and very little, if any, tar will he formed.

The superheatcd steam, in addition to the elements furnished by its decomposition, serves to keep up the telnpemture, :1nd no heat'. will be abstracted from the rctorts by the introduction of the oil, asis the case where oil is introduced in a stream, or where separate charges are introduced from time to time.

The apparatus thus becomes continuous, and, as very littleret'use is formed, the retolts will need cleaning but rarely.

Whenever it becomes necessary to open a retort for any purpose, the pipe connecting it with the others can be closed by astop-cock, and the operation of the other not interrupted. I

Having thus described my invention,

What I desire to secure by Letters Patent is- 1. The combination and arrangement of thc jetpipe. a, oil-pipo L and double conical-passage c, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The combination ofthe superheating-pipc I, decomposer csteam or Igas-pipe K, oil-pipe L and retorts D and E, when constructed and arranged tc operate substantially as herein specified.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal.

E. P. MCCARTHY. [1.. s.]

Witnesses WM. R. BOONE, GEo. H. STRONG. 

